Satterfield succeeds in arranging a Palestinian- Israeli meeting
Palestine-Israel, Politics, 12/15/2003

A high ranking Palestinian official said that a meeting will be held today between Palestinian and Israeli officials, in order to discuss means of implementing the Roadmap peace plan, and prepare for the forthcoming meeting between the Palestinian prime minister Ahmad Qrei and the Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon.

The meeting comes as a fruit for the efforts made by the special US envoy and under secretary of state, David Satterfield, who started a visit to the region on Friday to give a push forward to the reluctant peace negotiations, and to eliminate obstacles before convening a meeting between Qrei and Sharon.

The visiting American envoy met with the director of Sharon's office, in addition to the chairman of the internal security department ( Shein beit ), and chairman of the military intelligence.

Following Satterfield's meeting with Qrei on Saturday, the American mediator urged the Palestinian authority and Israel to take strong measures to implement the Roadmap, amid increasing remarks of Washington's impatience, because of the failure of the plan to end three years of the Palestinian Intifada.

For his part, the Palestinian minister in charge of the negotiations, Saeb Oreikat, said that Satterfield has to pressure Israel to halt its unilateral steps, and return back to the table of negotiations.

In the same context high ranking Israeli sources said that Sharon's government will refrain from taking unilateral steps for several months, in order to give the opportunity to resumption of efforts aiming to revive the Roadmap peace plan.

A source close to Sharon said that the prime minister will more expectedly propose in a speech, he will deliver next week, ideas on ways of launching the negotiations with the Palestinians, and that he will not take unilateral steps, unless all efforts fail to implement the roadmap.

Previous Stories:
  Three Palestinians killed, legislative council convenes first session   (12/3/2003)
  Geneva peace accord kicks off; peace plans with stages are designed to fail   (12/2/2003)
  Palestinians and Israelis Sign a Model Peace Accord   (12/1/2003)

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